July 30, 2025
This year marks a significant improvement in the landscape of free speech on college campuses, as more institutions are adopting policies that support student expression. According to the latest report from an organization dedicated to individual rights and expression, the number of colleges and universities with favorable speech policies has risen, indicating a positive trend for academic freedom.
Since the inception of their annual report in 2006, this organization has categorized numerous public and private higher education institutions into three distinct groups based on their speech policies: green, yellow, and red lights. In the current year, 73 out of 490 surveyed institutions, or 14.9 percent, received a green light rating, signifying that their policies do not pose a threat to free expression. This is an increase from 63 institutions last year and represents the highest percentage since 2012, when only 3.6 percent achieved this status.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the number of colleges earning green-light ratings has surpassed those classified under the red-light category, which accounts for 14.7 percent of institutions. The red-light designation is reserved for colleges with policies that significantly restrict free speech. Last year, 20 percent of institutions fell into this category, highlighting a notable shift in the current climate.
Despite ongoing debates surrounding free expression, particularly in light of recent campus protests related to global events, the report attributes the decline in red-light ratings to proactive revisions of policies concerning harassment, hate speech, and bias reporting. The report notes that while bias reporting systems have gained traction over the past decade, they have often led to the reporting of protected speech simply because it was deemed offensive, effectively turning academic institutions into arbiters of political and academic discourse and creating a chilling effect on campus expression.
Recent years have seen a surge in lawsuits, advocacy for free speech from students and alumni, and increased scrutiny from lawmakers, all of which have contributed to these changes.
According to the report, more than a dozen institutions have either significantly revised or completely eliminated their bias reporting systems. Others have taken steps to diminish the visibility of these teams on their websites or have implemented measures requiring students to log in to access policy information.
The majority of institutions, totaling 337 or 68.8 percent, were rated yellow, indicating that they maintain policies with vague regulations on expression. Additionally, eight colleges received a warning rating for explicitly prioritizing a specific set of values over a commitment to free speech.
Overall, private colleges tend to have more restrictive policies compared to their public counterparts. Only 10.6 percent of public colleges received red-light ratings, in contrast to 28 percent of private colleges. Furthermore, just 7.1 percent of private colleges achieved a green-light rating, compared to 17 percent of public institutions.